"That's my boy": Mario Andretti recalls son Michael Andretti's incredible win at Long Beach GP
IndyCar will honor racing legend Mario Andretti at the 50th edition of the Long Beach Grand Prix this weekend, making him co-grand marshal for the race. In the lead-up to the landmark event, the four-time IndyCar champion recalled the 1986 race at Long Beach where he battled his son, Michael Andretti.
Mario Andretti had won the Long Beach GP in 1984 and 1985 and entered the '86 edition as a three-time winner around the street circuit, having taken his first win when F1 raced there in 1977. The then-Newman/Haas Racing driver started third on the grid in '86, but couldn't do any better, dropping down to fifth when the chequered flag waved.
However, that race became one of the most memorable ones for him because his son, Michael, won it to record his first IndyCar win. The younger Andretti won the race by only 0.380 seconds over Al Unser Jr. He also lapped his father to good effect.
In a recent episode of the Pit Pass Indy podcast, the older Andretti was asked about his memory of that fateful day and if he knew sitting fifth in the race that his son had won.
"I knew where he was," the 85-year-old replied with a laugh [14:18 onwards]. "I knew he was up front. I was like, every time he got by me, I was mad, then all of a sudden, 'Well, attaboy, That's my boy.' (Laughs) Double-edged sword."
Mario Andretti wasn't done winning at Long Beach. He returned to the fabled circuit the next year and won the 1987 running of the race to record his fourth win there. Michael finished in fourth.
Mario Andretti reveals his family's cherished history at the Long Beach Grand Prix
Mario Andretti is the only American driver to win an F1 race in his home country. In 1977, he won the US Grand Prix at Long Beach after a tough three-way battle with Niki Lauda and Jody Scheckter. For three-time IndyCar champion Bobby Rahal, who was still racing in junior categories then, Andretti's win became one of his core racing memories.
Andretti's bond with the place deepened after he won an IndyCar race there and witnessed his son ecstatically do the same. He elaborated on his family's love for the circuit on the aforementioned podcast, saying [13:25 onwards]:
"Having Michael win his very first IndyCar race there... as a matter of fact, Michael won his very last IndyCar race there in 2002. As you can see, we love that place. No question. You see how much pleasure, how much excitement it brought to our family, in general."
On Sunday, Mario Andretti and Al Unser Jr. will be co-grand marshals for the 50th Long Beach Grand Prix. The cherry on top for Andretti is that all three cars of Andretti Global, the team his son owned until last year, start in the Top 5, with Kyle Kirkwood and Colton Herta locking out the front row.